It is finally Friday, and who hasn't loved all of these inter-league matchups to start off the 2022 MLB season? The San Francisco Giants will travel to the great midwest to battle it out on the diamond against the Cleveland Guardians. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Giants-Guardians prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play on Friday, there is currently a three-team tie at the top of the NL West standings, as the Giants, Rockies, and Dodgers are all 4-2 through six games. While separation is bound to occur with more games scheduled to be played, San Francisco will call upon southpaw Carlos Rodon, who was nearly un-hittable in his first outing of the year by striking out 12 Marlins hitters and only allowing one run on three hits.
With a brand new rebrand now fully underway, the Cleveland Guardians have started off identically as the Giants with a 4-2 mark and have reeled off four-straight wins after beginning 0-2 in 2022. Cleveland will try to keep their winning ways intact by relying on Zach Plesac, who pitched shutout ball versus the Royals six days ago.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Giants-Guardians MLB odds:
MLB odds: Giants-Guardians Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+114)
Cleveland Guardians : +1.5 (-137)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
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Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
In a very intriguing MLB matchup to start off the baseball weekend slate, the Giants will be put to the test against an equally as hot Guardians club. However, San Fran has the ability to hang with anyone, as they exhibited that more than anyone after dethroning the Dodgers' terrorizing reign in the NL West by winning 107 games in 2021.
The reason why the Giants played so wonderfully a year ago was in large part due to their masterful pitching, and that has also been the case thus far in 2022. While early, so far San Francisco has maintained a 2.62 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP, good for fourth and eighth in the league respectively. With a well-rounded starting pitching staff and a bullpen that can hold their own, the Guardians could be in for a rude awakening if the Giants are clicking on all cylinders.
Looking to add to his commanding start to the season will be Carlos Rodon, who seemed to not be affected at all by the shortened Spring Training schedule by downing 12 of the 15 Miami Marlins batters on strikes. Rodon had superb control of all of his pitches, especially his slider that seemed to drop out of the zone at the last possible second. Of course, Rodon will be assigned with a much tougher task in squaring off with a potent Guardians lineup, but Giants fans have to be encouraged from what they've seen from Rodon thus far.
In 20 outings versus Cleveland in his career, Rodon has posted a 7-5 record with a 2.90 ERA in such games.
Offensively, first baseman Brandon Belt has turned back the clock through six games, as the 33-year-old veteran is swatting .438 and has smashed two home runs to be one of the best statistically sound hitters in all of America in 2022. Additionally, newcomer outfielder Joc Pederson has been a key contributor, as the former Dodger, Cub, and Brave is hitting .308 in 13 at-bats.
Why The Guardians Could Cover the Spread
Something has to give, right? Both the Giants and Guardians have a combined six-game winning streak, as the scalding play from both squads will be put to the test on Friday evening.
The biggest headline in the first week and a half of the newly acquainted season has been rookie hotshot Steven Kwan, who actually originates from the San Francisco Bay Area. Kwan has been on an absolute tear, as the first-year standout was on a five-game winning streak before going 0-4 on Wednesday versus the Reds. The young centerfielder is belting an absurd .526 average that has also seen him achieve an on-base percentage of .655 through six games.
Another dangerously lethal hitter in Cleveland's lineup has been third-baseman Jose Ramirez, who already has 14 runs batted in while leading the club in homers with a trio of them. There's no question that the Guardians' offensive prowess has been on full display, as Cleveland is arguably the best hitting team in the league as they lead all MLB clubs in every major batting statistical category.
This bodes well for right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac, who should have no issue in receiving run support from the rest of the roster. If Plesac can replicate his latest shutout performance, then things are looking up in Cleveland finding a way to edge out San Francisco in the spread.
Final Giants-Guardians Prediction & Pick
While both teams are not used to losing ballgames, someone has to end up on the wrong end of the scoreboard on Friday. At +1.5, the value of picking the Guardians seems to be a smart choice given the amount of runs Cleveland has been scoring and the fact that they are playing their first game of the season at Progressive Field. The Guardians win game one of this epic early-season series!
Final Giants-Guardians Pick: Guardians +1.5 (-137)
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